The Price of Freedom
by mandybean
Summary: Heero/OC A girl is forced to be an emissary for a drug ringleader in order to find answers to her past. What will happen when Heero's her next target?
1. Prologue

_--Scorching flames licked the walls around her, burning everything in sight. All she could do was huddle in the corner, hearing screams outside the door. Her mother's screams. The screams silenced and her vision dimmed until she saw only black. All she could hear was the roaring of the fire, now only a dull roaring in her ears.--_

Amirah's eyes snapped open. She gazed blearily at the glowing green digits of her alarm clock. 4:53am. She mumbled a few choice words under her breath and slowly pulled herself out of the bed.

'Might as well get up now,' she silently muttered. She dragged her sleep-deprived body to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Stepping out, she glanced at her hazy image in the steamed up mirror. The fuzzy outline of her reflection seemed to taunt her and she resisted the urge to punch the jeering figure. Last time she had acted on that impulse and the only thing it got her was a bloody hand and no mirror.

Dressing in her baggy sweat pants and tank top, she grabbed an apple off the counter and quickly left her apartment. Her emotions were as raw as predawn sky that floated above her. She started to jog down the familiar path, away from her apartment and away from her emotions. Running was her relief from the pain of her nightmares. The burning in her legs and chest helped alleviate the pain in her heart. She felt the last edges of the painful memory of her nightmare fade away as she increased her pace and raced towards the rising sun.

When she returned to her small apartment, she saw a sealed envelope on her kitchen table. She walked over to it, noticing the small gold initials 'DD' intertwined with each other. Another mission. She sat down heavily on the kitchen chair and unceremoniously ripped open the letter. Small words typed in black ink read '_Café Destiny. 8:00am_.'

"Café Destiny, eh? How ironic," she mumbled under her breath. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was almost 7:00. She hopped in the shower, threw on some jean shorts and a tank top, and threw up her hair into a hurried ponytail. She looked in the mirror quickly and saw what her steamy bathroom mirror had failed to show her. Ice blue eyes sparkled maliciously back at her, dulled from her past. Her skin, although flawless, lacked the luster that most people had. She quickly looked away, unable to face herself any longer, and walked down path that would lead her to the café.

She looked over the brim of her baseball cap and studied the solitary figure in the corner of the coffee shop. He sat reading the newspaper, unaware of the eyes that watched him. She had to admit, he was quite attractive, with his dark tussled hair and relaxed posture. He had one arm thrown languidly over the back of his chair, the other holding a cup of coffee to his lips. She couldn't tell the color of his eyes from so far away, but she imagined they were a dark, stormy color.

She jumped half a mile when a zoomed-in cup of coffee blocked her view from her target. She blinked her eyes and focused on the cup the waitress was handing to her. She smiled quickly to the woman, silently wondering if it she should have ordered decaf. She was way too jumpy for her own good. Anyway, she had to stay focused. She couldn't fail another mission, and shuddered as the unwanted memory found it's way into her minds eye.

One of Drake Dalton's little followers had met her there earlier, informing her of her next target. It was hard to imagine such a striking man as, what was his name? Heero? Yes, such a striking man as Heero could possible be low enough in status to be in the drug business, but she knew better than to trust someone by their looks. And she was in no place to question Mr. Dalton's orders. She needed to get answers, and this was the only way.

She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts and once again looked down at her coffee. Glancing up again she noticed the seat previously taken by the attractive man was empty. She jumped up out of her chair, knocking it over as she spun around, trying to find her missing target. Seeing him turn a corner down the street, she threw some money onto the table and quickly ran out of the café. 'Great, Amirah, just great. Lose him on your first day. Some spy I am,' she thought hurriedly. Turning the corner she had seen Heero turn, she came face to face with the most gorgeous prussian blue eyes she had ever seen, jumping as she almost collided into him.

She definitely should have ordered decaf.


	2. Chapter 1

He had been watching her for some time now. Not directly, of course, but through the reflection of the window he was sitting next to. She was watching him intently, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Moving his face away from the window, he smirked when she snapped out of her daydream, jumping when the waitress handed her a cup of coffee. He felt the small urge to chuckle, if only he was capable of it.  
  
Being raised for the sole purpose of fighting didn't leave him much time to laugh. In fact, he thought with a start, he couldn't remember the last time he had even smiled. Ever since the war ended all those years ago, Earth and the Space Colonies had experienced relative peace. Most people had resumed their lives from before the war, but Heero couldn't seem to adapt to the quiet life. His fingers were itching for the feel of a fight, his heart pounding with the blood of battle. That's why he had joined the Narcotic Enforcement Agency after the war. While small, the semi- underground agency was rather effective in bringing down the key organizers of the city's drug rings. Working with the NEA helped sooth his battle- frenzied mind.  
  
He had first noticed the girl the moment she walked in. There was something about her. She was pretty, sure, but that wasn't it. He wasn't someone who normally noticed the opposite sex. There was something about her eyes; the desolate look they held even though she tried to mask it. His suspicions of her increased when a shifty-eyed man sat down next to her. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the man whispered in low tones, looking over in Heero's direction once. His analytical mind quickly took note of the nearest escape route and possible weapons the girl and man may have had. He was certain they were watching him.  
  
When the man left, Heero brought his attention back to the newspaper, although he didn't read it. The girl was staring at him again. 'Whatever she's doing, she isn't being very subtle about it,' Heero thought, trying to assess the level, if any, of the girl's skills.  
  
She seemed to realize she was staring when she shook her head and looked down at her coffee, the brim of her hat blocking her face from his view. Tired of playing the staring game, Heero stood up. Watching her carefully out of the corner of his eye, he readied himself for any sort of attack. Surprisingly she made no move, not even seeming to notice he had left.  
  
He mentally noted her lack of awareness and walked out of the café. He casually strolled to the street corner, turning down the alleyway. He had planned to wait until she left and then follow her, hoping to get some idea as to why she was watching him.  
  
What he did not expect was for her to run smack into him as she rounded the corner. He stared into her cold blue eyes as she recovered from the near impact.  
  
"I...uh...I was just, um..." she stuttered.  
  
Heero raised an eyebrow at her attempt to regain her composure. This girl was proving to be more amusing than dangerous. She slowly started to back up, and to his complete surprise, simply turned around and walked away. He stared at the spot she once occupied before his combat-trained brain kicked in and shouted at him to follow her.  
  
He stepped out of the alleyway and looked around for the telltale sign of her baseball cap, grunting when he saw no sign of her. Although her tracking skills were--for lack of a better word--wanting, she sure knew how to disappear.  
  
Heero threw the keys down onto the table in his small apartment. After his run-in with the mysterious girl, he had gotten a phone call from the NEA. They were closing in on one of the heads of a powerful drug syndicate, known only by the symbol of two intertwining D's. Heero was assigned the job of learning as much information as possible about the man until there was enough incriminating evidence to move the squad in.  
  
The NEA had found the location of the syndicate. Heero was to scout out the area for any leads as to where, or who for that matter, the leader was.  
  
Heero threw himself down onto his couch and turned on the TV, turning it off not even a minute later. He couldn't get the image of that girl out of his head. It wasn't like him to be stuck on some woman. It wasn't like him to lose someone in a crowd, either, his mind reminded him.  
  
"Damn." He wasn't getting anywhere. He forcefully pushed her out of his mind and focused on his assignment. The next meeting was to be in an abandoned office building in the outskirts of town. He would go there tonight and survey the area for any possible dangers. Being trained for the war since he was old enough to walk had perfected his skills, but he wouldn't take any chances. This group seemed especially dangerous. The previous two NEA members that had been assigned this case had disappeared for days, later turning up dead. That's why they had given Heero the case. He seemed to have no fear of death; in fact, he almost seemed to welcome it with open arms.  
  
Looking around his apartment, Heero mentally cringed at how solemn it looked. There was a small kitchen to the right, a family room—if you could even call it that—in the middle, and a small hallway on the left that led to the bathroom and his bedroom. There was no decoration anywhere, and very little lighting. He liked things this way though, he reminded himself. He liked things simple.  
  
Hoisting himself off the overstuffed leather couch, he headed towards the bathroom to take a quick shower. Letting the near-scalding water relax his muscles, he allowed himself to think about the girl. She was obviously following him, and she wasn't the only one since that man she was talking to was also involved. He stored this information for future reference.  
  
Grabbing the keys he had thrown on the table earlier, he left his apartment for the second time that day. This time was in search of the abandoned office building. 


	3. Chapter 2

She ducked between the people on the street, trying to look as invisible as she felt. She didn't dare glance behind her until she was a safe distance away.  
  
'Girl, there is something seriously wrong with you,' she berated herself. She had been caught off guard and panicked. Various scenarios had gone through her mind as she ran—all the things she should have done. But she couldn't think straight staring into his eyes the way she was, so she had opted for running away. It must have surprised him too, since he hadn't chased after her until she was too far away to be caught.  
  
If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was run away. She had spent her whole life doing it. She had run away from her parent's death, seeking solace in all the wrong places, namely Mr. Drake Dalton. But he had provided for her, and promised her answers in return for her help. He would send her on missions to find out as much as she could about the target, and then relay that information back to him. She didn't know what the information was for, since she wasn't quite sure what he did in the first place, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be too happy if she found out. So she just closed her eyes to what she was doing. The mystery surrounding her parents was more important than her morality.  
  
Sliding into an alleyway, she watched the people walk by. No sign of Heero. She smirked in self-satisfaction and once again joined the people on the street. She followed the general direction of the traffic.  
  
She hadn't learned all she had hoped for in her last encounter with the boy. In fact, the only thing she did learn was that he could render her brainless with a simple look from those intense eyes.  
  
'And I don't think that's what Mr. Dalton wants to know,' she joked to herself. Finding that her feet had taken her to the park, she sat down on a bench. She slouched down on the bench in a very unladylike manner and rested the back of her head on the top. She watched as a little girl played with her dog. The dog took off, and in the process of chasing it, the girl tripped. Tears sprang to her eyes as she held her hurt knee. Amirah's eyes shifted to a woman stooping down to pick up the crying child. 'She must be her mother,' Amirah thought without emotion.  
  
Suppressing similar memories, she once again focused on her mission. She had lost her target. How on earth was she supposed to find him? She had no idea where he had gone. She mentally kicked herself again for her mistake of running away.  
  
A shadow fell over her face and she squinted up to see who had interrupted her mental self-beating. The silhouetted figure silently handed her a small envelope and then disappeared as quickly as he had arrived.  
  
The envelope, bearing the interlocking initials DD, revealed an address, date, and a time. She guessed it was for another meeting. Every now and then Mr. Dalton would contact her during a mission to find out what information she had gathered. This was bad. The meeting was for tomorrow night, and she didn't even know how to find Heero. She growled in frustration.  
  
She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. When she opened them, her eyes were cool and calculating. All this panicking wasn't like her. She had to get her act together. And she wasn't going to get anywhere just sitting here.  
  
She would just have to go find him herself.  
  
After wandering the streets aimlessly for an hour, she figured this wasn't the best way to find him. She headed back to her apartment, deciding it was time for a coffee break.  
  
She poured herself a cup of day-old coffee and stuck it in the microwave. She really wasn't in the mood to make more. Sipping the hot—if somewhat stale—coffee, she opened the newspaper. Her eyes scanned over the words, only half comprehending what she read. She had to know more about Heero. What would she tell Mr. Dalton tomorrow? What would he do if she had nothing to tell?  
  
No, she had to find him.  
  
Her eyes scanned a small blurb towards the end of an article, and she nearly dropped her cup at what she saw. It was in small black print, but as far as she was concerned, it might as well have been in big bold type.  
  
His name.  
  
Heero Yuy.  
  
She sat up straight and reread the paragraph. Due to the recent deaths of Agent Sakura and partner Tetsuya, local NEA Agent Heero Yuy is to cover previous case.  
  
Heero worked for the NEA too? Sakura had been her previous target. When she found out he worked for the Narcotics Enforcement Agency, she was stunned. She had asked Mr. Dalton about it. He said that they were 'bad cops, and deserved whatever they got' and to not be concerned with what didn't involve her directly. Her mission was to find out information; the rest was none of her concern. Then he nearly broke her jaw for questioning him. She didn't dare ask if he was the cause of Sakura and his partner turning up dead. Since then, she had been more wary of Mr. Dalton. However, she had convinced herself to trust him. Most of her targets had ended up being involved in drug rings, and truly were corrupt. He had taken her in, and in return for her successful mission with Sakura, he had promised to do more research into her parents' deaths.  
  
But another NEA agent? Was it just a coincidence? Unlikely, but she ignored the thought. At least now she knew where to find Heero. Gulping down the rest of her coffee, she headed back out into the world.  
  
She walked up to Heero Yuy's apartment building. Getting his address had proved to be easier than she thought. She had flirted shamelessly with the guy behind the desk at the NEA office. She told the man she was Heero's girlfriend and she wanted to surprise him at his apartment. With a few well-timed giggles, fluttering eyelashes, and shoving her chest into his face, he was just about hers. He had surprised her by showing signs of mental capacity when he asked her why she didn't already have his address if she was his girlfriend. She had momentarily panicked. She then ran her finger suggestively down his tie and said it was her first night over, and then winked. He grinned at her, and after eyeing her up and down, looked up Heero's address on the computer files.  
  
It had been too easy, although it had taken all her self-control not to slap that perverted smirk off his face.  
  
She looked up at the apartment building. Swallowing loudly, she pushed the button to ring Heero's room. No answer. Good, he wasn't home. Now she just had to get in. She walked up to the door, and using the pretense of looking through the glass, stuck a hairpin into the lock. She smiled sweetly as a person walked by, and then continued to inconspicuously pick the lock.  
  
Bingo.  
  
The door popped open and she casually walked into the building. She took the elevator to his floor and soon she was standing in front of his door. She knocked on it, ready to sprint if it budged. But it didn't. No one was home. She bent down to the lock and picked it in much the same way as before. Soon enough, the door unlocked and she silently stepped inside, closing the door softly behind her.  
  
She looked around the bare room, not having the slightest idea where to start. After taking a quick glance into the kitchen and family room, she walked down the hall and into his bedroom. There it was—the computer.  
  
"Oh the sweet smell of success," she whispered, silently patting herself on the back. Grinning like a cheshire cat, she sauntered over to the desk. She sat down carefully on the swivel chair. Taking a quick glance at the desk, she decided to see what she could find. She opened the sole drawer. Empty. What kind of guy was this? The room was painfully neat, not a speck of dust out of place, and she imagined that if she checked his sock drawer, they would be alphabetized by brand name. It was just so..so...  
  
Boring.  
  
She shrugged. This wasn't the kind of information Mr. Dalton wanted. She reached out her hand to turn on the computer when she heard it—the faint sound of footsteps.  
  
'No, not now! Why'd he have to come home now!' she screamed in her mind. She didn't have much time to do anything but dive into his closet. She heard the door open and shut with a resolute thud. She heard the dull clank of his keys hitting the table. But most of all she heard the pounding of her heart. She heard the TV turn on and turn right back off, and then all was quiet.  
  
She stared at the darkness in front of her. As her eyes began to adjust, she looked around and noticed she was squeezed between business suits. She tried to figure out if they were navy or black, attempting to ignore the slow cramping in her legs. How long had she been standing there? Everything was still quiet. Maybe he fell asleep? Did he leave without her knowing? She reached forward to open the closet door but quickly pulled her hand back. What if he knew she was there? What if he was standing right outside the door, waiting for her to come out?  
  
No. She could wait in there a little longer. She couldn't shake the image of him standing right outside the door until she heard the sound of water running through the pipes in the wall behind her. He was taking a shower.  
  
Relief flooded her body. She could escape now. She wasn't going to get caught. She slowly slid the door open, peering out for a minute before silently stepping out of the closet. All clear. She crept to the door of the bedroom and stuck out her head. To her immediate right was a closed door—the bathroom. She wasted no time getting to the front door and making a hasty, but silent, escape.  
  
She made her way back to the bottom floor and walked out of the building. Only when she had rounded the corner did she dare breathe. She had almost been caught for the second time that day, and for nothing. She still didn't know anything about him except that he worked for the NEA and was a neat freak.  
  
She had been leaning against the side of the apartment building for a little while, trying to get her composure back, when she saw a familiar head of brown, unruly hair walk by. She stepped out on the street and sure enough, the shrinking back of Heero presented itself to her. Where was he going?  
  
She glanced up at the building. Did she dare go back up there? Should she follow him? She glanced at his window one more time before turning in the direction Heero went.  
  
How better to learn about someone than to watch them first hand? 


	4. Chapter 3

It wasn't until he was a good six or seven blocks away from his apartment building that he noticed her. Considering he had been trained from early in his life to spot these things, he was impressed that she had made it this far. He still wasn't sure why she was following him, only that she was.  
  
He debated on whether to simply lose her or to confront her. He was curious as to why such a young woman, barely more than a girl, was following him. She couldn't have been more than 20, yet here she was stalking a man in the middle of the night.  
  
Heero glanced at his watch, deciding he could spare enough time to ask this girl a question or two. He casually walked into a side street, careful to slow down his pace. The alley was nearly pitch black and he strained his ears to listen for her steps. Sure enough, he heard them. He could see her faint silhouette, standing at the opening. He could almost feel her hesitancy to enter the alley, but it didn't last long as he heard her footsteps approaching. He stood silently against the wall, hidden by the night, waiting. He was in familiar territory. He was the hunter stalking his prey.  
  
She was getting closer, almost to where he was, when she stopped. He could hear her breathing quicken, as if she could sense his presence. She took a nervous step backwards, but before she could move, he slammed his body against hers and pushed her roughly against the opposite wall. She gasped in shock and he quickly pressed his hand against her mouth, preventing the scream that was bubbling up in her throat.  
  
He could feel her fear through every inch of contact his body had with hers. He reached his free hand behind his back and quickly pulled out the gun he held there. Putting it into his pocket, he pressed himself against her just enough so that she could feel it. It seemed to work as she instantly stopped struggling. When he was sure she wasn't going to scream, he removed his hand from her mouth. He knew she couldn't see him and used it to his advantage.  
  
He leaned his head towards her, moving his lips to her ear.  
  
"Who sent you?" he whispered harshly. She apparently heard the threat of his words because she instantly started to struggle again. He pushed his gun against her thigh, reminding her of its presence. She immediately ceased to move. "You didn't answer my question."  
  
She was so still that he almost felt guilty. Almost. She hesitantly spoke.  
  
"N-no one sent me. I don't know what you're tal—"  
  
He pushed her harder against the wall, effectively cutting off her words.  
  
"I do not recommend lying. I saw you in the café this morning." He grabbed her chin with his hand and turned her face towards him until she was forced to look at him. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he could see the outline of her features, and knew she could see his as well.  
  
He moved forward until their noses almost touched.  
  
"Who sent you?" he repeated in a low tone, piercing her eyes with his gaze. He felt her back stiffen as she stared back at him. He growled in annoyance. He didn't have time for this. Precious seconds were ticking by as he wasted his time arguing with nothing but a girl who apparently held little to no threat.  
  
But he couldn't just let her go.  
  
Quickly formulating a plan, he backed away from the wall and pulled her with him.  
  
"Fine, have it your way." He took the gun from his pocket and held it up to her face. It gleamed from the light of the moon and he watched her eyes follow its movement into its holster.  
  
"I'd rather not use this, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't scream," he stated without emotion. He grabbed her upper arm with enough force to hold her to him but not to hurt her, and swiftly walked out of the alley and onto the street. She opened her mouth to question him but his tightened grip on her arm convinced her to remain quiet.  
  
He held her close to him as he walked back towards his apartment. To the few people on the street it seemed as if they were simply a couple enjoying the cool night.  
  
When they reached the building, they silently rode the elevator up to his floor. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She hadn't made a sound since they left the alley and her eyes remained cool and collected, trying to mask the fear he sensed.  
  
He walked towards the door with her in tow and they wordlessly walked into his room. He didn't bother flicking on the lights, he was used to the darkness.  
  
"Stay," he commanded. He walked over towards his room and rummaged through his things. Finding what he desired, he returned to the door and found her in the same place he left her. Good, she feared him. He grasped her arm again and pulled her towards the couch. He pushed her down onto the ground and squatted next to her. He deftly snapped the handcuffs he had brought from his room onto her wrist. He pulled her arm to the leg of the couch and snapped the other end onto it.  
  
Stepping back, he observed his work. She was leaning against the side of the couch, staring at her immobile hand in shock. When she looked back to him, he was surprised at the defiant glint in her eyes. She certainly didn't like being tied down.  
  
He walked towards the door and stopped at the sound of her voice.  
  
"Where are you going? You're just going to leave me here?" She asked incredulously. He glanced back at her, the cold look in his eyes silencing any other words she may have spoken.  
  
"I have business to attend to." He opened the door, glancing back before he stepped through it. "And when I come back, I better get some answers, or else you'll have more to worry about than being handcuffed to a couch." He left the threat in the air as he strode out the door.  
  
He snuck up to the building, sliding in between the shadows. He was trying hard to focus on what he was doing, but he couldn't help but think of the woman handcuffed to his couch. Should he have just left her there? What if something happened and she was unable to move?  
  
He angrily pushed the thoughts out of his head. Since when did he question his own actions? He didn't even know this girl and already she was affecting him.  
  
Hiding in the shadow of a tree, he studied the abandoned building. It was about 30 stories high and run down. Most of the windows were either broken or missing, and in some sections there wasn't even a wall at all. It was rather secluded and blended with the other abandoned buildings. All in all, it was ideal for a private meeting.  
  
There seemed to be no activity in the building, but Heero took no chances. He removed his gun from the holster and switched off the safety. If there was one thing he had learned from the war, it was to never underestimate the enemy. His thoughts once again returned to the young woman in his apartment. Was he underestimating her? Did she prove more of a threat than he gave her credit for?  
  
He shook his head. He'd find answers to his question when he got back. Right now he had a job to do. He quickly slid up against the side of the building and made his was towards the entrance. He slipped inside and looked around.  
  
Apparently, the syndicate had gotten wind that their location had been discovered. Heero had looked the building up and down. There wasn't a thing in sight. The only clue that anyone had been there were the slight scuffmarks on the floor. They had done a good job of clearing out. There wasn't a single hint left behind, other than a single bullet shell that sat gleaming in a corner. Someone had obviously displeased the boss, and paid for it with their life. Heero searched for any blood, anything that could help identify someone involved, but the place had been wiped clean. They clearly weren't amateurs.  
  
Heero walked back to his apartment with his hands in his pockets. The trip had been a complete waste. He had examined the building well into the night and hadn't discovered a single thing.  
  
He stepped out of the elevator and walked up to his door. He hated failure. He feared failure. In the war, failure meant death. He walked into his apartment and closed the door behind him, disappointment flowing within him. Flicking on his lights, his eyes were immediately drawn to the figure sleeping on the floor, handcuffed to his couch.  
  
For the first time since that morning, he had forgotten about her. Maybe tonight wasn't such a failure after all. 


	5. Chapter 4

She forced herself to stare at the elevator doors in front of her, fighting the urge to glance over at Heero. Neither had spoken a word since he had caught her. She knew she shouldn't have gone into the alley after him, that it was probably a trap. But her fear of going back to Mr. Dalton empty-handed had overridden her fear of being caught by Heero. So in she went.  
  
And here she was...standing captive by the man she was supposed to be following. She was angry with herself, berating herself for getting caught so easily, but mostly she was afraid. She'd never been caught before, and she didn't know what this man was capable of. A shiver of fear ran through her mind, but she made sure not to let it show in her eyes. He was watching her. She could feel it. She refused to let him know that she was afraid of him.  
  
The ding of the elevator reverberated through the small room, cutting through the silence. Heero walked out as soon as the reflective doors slid open, pulling her along with him. He hadn't removed his hand since he'd gotten in the elevator and she had almost gotten used to its strong yet surprisingly gentle presence. He quickly unlocked the door she had picked not two hours earlier and walked inside.  
  
It was dark when she walked in, and her eyes could only pick out dark shapes. She already knew the basic layout of his apartment, so it was no set back when Heero declined turning on the lights.  
  
He told her to stay, and she momentarily bristled at the command, but forced herself to stay calm. She had to think of a way out of this. Mr. Dalton wanted to meet with her tomorrow night, and the only thing worse than showing up empty-handed was not showing up at all. Her mind screamed at her to run away now, when he wasn't looking. He was somewhere in his bedroom, and she was still standing next to the door. But how far would she get until he caught her? And what would he do to her when he did? She didn't want to risk it. Anyway, she's rather face an angry Heero than an angry Mr. Dalton—she had to find out more about him.  
  
Her eyes followed the dark form of his body as he re-entered the room. She prayed he hadn't discovered any evidence of her being in there earlier. Her eyes glanced down at the shiny object he held in his hands.  
  
He couldn't be serious...handcuffs?  
  
Without a word, he grabbed her arm and led her over to the couch, roughly pushing her to the floor. He deftly snapped one end of the handcuffs onto her wrist and the other end to the leg of the couch. He did this so quickly and with such grace that she didn't register the fact until he had already stood up.  
  
She glared at him with all the hatred and defiance she could muster. To her dismay, he simply turned around and walked towards the door.  
  
"Where are you going? You're just going to leave me here?" She asked incredulously. How dare he just leave her here handcuffed to his stupid couch!  
  
He looked at her for a moment and she couldn't help but suck in her breath at the intense look in his prussian eyes. "I have business to attend to." He opened the door, glancing back before he stepped through it only long enough to threaten, "and when I come back, I better get some answers, or else you'll have more to worry about than being handcuffed to a couch." He left the threat in the air as he strode out the door.  
  
Amirah stared at the door he had walked through for a second before panic started to gnaw at her. This wasn't what she planned. The humor of the strange nature of her captivity was outweighed by her fear. Heero was gone, she was alone, she was hungry, and she was getting scared. Only this morning she had woken up in her bed, ready for her morning jog. Now she was handcuffed to a stranger's couch, a stranger with a gun nonetheless.  
  
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the hairpin she had used to break in before. She had no idea how long Heero would be gone, but she had to risk it and finish the search she had begun that afternoon. She wiggled the hairpin around for a few seconds until she heard the pop of the lock.  
  
Sliding her wrist out of the open handcuff, she silently walked over to the bedroom. Everything was how she had last seen it. She sat down on the swivel chair and reached over to turn on the computer. This time she was uninterrupted.  
  
The computer whirred to life, the once-black screen slowly glowing brighter and brighter. Amirah impatiently tapped her finger on the mouse. "Come on, come on, I don't have all day," she whispered anxiously to herself. Finally, the desktop came to view. The screen was plain blue with a single row of files on the left side. The names of the folders were all acronyms, so she simply clicked on the top one, labeled "NEASYN2-03".  
  
The file opened to a single word document. The heading read "Narcotics Enforcement Agency, Syndicate, issued 2-03". Underneath it was a collaboration of dates, places, and a list of items and descriptions.  
  
"It must be some story he was working on," she mumbled under her breath, unimpressed with what she found. She exited out of the document and looked again at the list of folders on the desktop. They all read similar titles and contained similar information. She would have to just go through each one, one at a time.  
  
Amirah went first to the most recent document, titled "NEADR3-04". The heading read, "Narcotics Enforcement Agency, Drug Ring, issued 3-04". It contained little information, simply a location, and one item, some bullet shell left by the drug group he was after. Her eyes scanned the quick description. He had sent the shell to the lab to be tested for any hints.  
  
Another worthless file.  
  
Amirah scanned through the remaining documents and found nothing useful. There had to be something she could learn! She scooted away from the computer and looked around the room. Against the far wall was a medium- sized bed. Next to it stood a small nightstand with a clock and a lamp. The only other lighting came from a window on the wall near the computer.  
  
Amirah jolted as she heard the dull ding of the elevator stopping on that floor. Damnit! He was back. How long had she been sitting there? She glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was already two in the morning. She had been sitting there for over an hour!  
  
She started to panic, quickly shutting down the computer. "Come on, come on!" she whispered in a hushed tone. Finally, the green light on the monitor shut off. She raced back to the family room, sliding to her knees as she heard Heero insert his key into the lock. Snapping on the handcuffs, she lied down on the floor and closed her eyes just as Heero walked in.  
  
She forced her breathing to calm down. If he thought she was asleep, he wouldn't suspect her of anything, right? Light flooded past her closed eyelids as he flicked on the lights and she forced herself not to squint at the sudden invasion. She heard him walk in and throw his keys on the kitchen table. She heard a chair scrape across the floor and the creak of the old wood as he sat down in it. She felt him stare at her. How long was he going to do that? Amirah could feel her heart rate increase, even though she couldn't see his face.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like forever, he got up, once again scraping the chair against the floor, and walked in the direction of his room. All was silent now. She dared to crack an eye open. Heero wasn't in sight. She wouldn't have even known he was there if it weren't for his almost silent footsteps in the other room.  
  
Footsteps that were once again approaching her.  
  
She quickly closed her eyes. He walked up to her and squatted down.  
  
"I know you're awake, you're breathing gives you away," he stated emotionlessly.  
  
After a moment of hesitation, Amirah wordlessly opened her eyes and looked at the shoes a few feet away from her face. She followed his body with her eyes, taking in his appearance. He was wearing loose, yet somehow fitted jeans. The first few buttons of his shirt were undone and his sleeves were sloppily rolled up to his forearms. His already unruly brown hair looked like he had just ran his hand through it. Her gaze stopped on his penetrating stare.  
  
They looked at each other for what seemed an eternity when he finally spoke.  
  
"Find anything interesting?" he asked, his tone a mix between amusement and annoyance.  
  
Amirah, not knowing what to say, simply lifted an eyebrow in confusion. He matched her look, lifting an eyebrow of his own. She couldn't help but notice how sexy he looked when he did that. She mentally slapped herself for even thinking such a thing. He was her assignment! He had her handcuffed to his couch! She couldn't possibly think he looked sexy.  
  
Heero stood up and walked over to the kitchen table.  
  
"I don't advise playing dumb," he warned. "I'm a patient man, but I have my limits. I don't appreciate it when little girls—"  
  
Amirah's eyes sharpened in annoyance.  
  
"—follow me around all day, sneak onto my computer when I'm not looking, and then act dumb." Heero turned around and pierced her with his dark gaze.  
  
Amirah didn't know how he knew she had been on the computer. She didn't know how Heero had caught her following him in the first place. Obviously, she had severely underestimated this man. She had been caught more times today by the same man than she had in her whole career with Mr. Dalton.  
  
He was still staring hard at her, his eyes cool and masked. He was waiting for her answer. But what could she say? If she revealed anything to him about Mr. Dalton...she shuddered to think about what'd he do to her.  
  
"I...I work for this guy..." Amirah began, "kind of as a side job. I don't really know who he is. He'll send someone over, to give me a name, and I follow them around for a few days, report what I saw, and go on my merry way. Your name just came up. I don't know anymore than that."  
  
It wasn't a complete lie, she thought. Hopefully he believed enough to satisfy him.  
  
Apparently he didn't.  
  
Heero closed the distance between them in three large steps, grabbed the front of her shirt, and pushed her sharply against the side of the couch. All she could see was his eyes, and they scared her. They weren't angry, like she expected. They were cold; distant in a way she had never seen before, as if he had suffered something horrible that left him incapable of emotion.  
  
"W..what?" she asked shakily. She was so shaken by his look that she had missed what he said.  
  
"I said that lies won't get you anywhere with me." He held her gaze with his intense stare.  
  
He was still pressing her into the side of the couch, his hand firmly holding the front of her shirt. His nose was nearly touching hers. They were in much the same position as when he caught her following him in the alleyway. Amirah was scared, but she was more scared of Mr. Dalton finding out she ratted on him.  
  
Heero's eyes darkened. An unnamable emotion flitted by so fast that Amirah barely caught it. Without warning, Heero let her go and she slouched against the side of the couch, trying to calm her heartbeat. She didn't know how long Heero had held her there, but it seemed as if stared at her with his intense stare for a good fifteen minutes.  
  
He stood up and ran his hands through his hair. Amirah looked at the ground, afraid of making eye contact. She had never wanted to get out of a situation as much as she did now. She felt a heavy weight in her stomach, something akin to guilt. Why should she feel guilty? Sure, she had followed him, snuck into his apartment, and got on his computer, but she was sure there was a good reason for it. Mr. Dalton promised that the people he sent her to follow were bad, and deserved the punishment he dealt.  
  
Yet, somehow, she felt guilty for invading this man's life.  
  
Glancing up, she noticed that he had been watching her. One hand remained in his hair where he had brushed it away from his eyes; the other was on his hip. Then he did something that utterly shocked her. He reached down, took a key out of his pocket, unlocked her handcuffs, and stepped back.  
  
Amirah didn't dare move, except for unconsciously rubbing her wrist. Heero merely stood there and watched her. He pointed to the door.  
  
"Leave," he stated impassively. Amirah's mouth dropped open. She slowly stood up, watching him the whole time.  
  
"I don't have time to baby-sit some girl off the street."  
  
"I'm not—" Amirah began, bristling, her previous fear of him momentarily gone.  
  
Heero stepped up to her, once again limiting the distance between them. "I don't care what you are. I'm letting you go, so just leave. But I'm warning you, if I see you following me again, I won't let you off so easy."  
  
Amirah didn't say anything. He was letting her go? Just like that? She couldn't believe it! Apparently growing impatient of her immobility, he pulled Amirah towards his door, opened it, and gave her a not-so-gentle shove. She was still staring at him when he closed it.  
  
Amirah still stared at the closed door. Swallowing, she silently took a step back, turned, and walked towards the elevator. She didn't dare look back.  
  
She couldn't believe her luck! Just a few minutes ago she was worrying about what to do, how to get out in time to get to Mr. Dalton, and now he just let her go.  
  
"Some girl off the street, hmph," she mumbled to herself, riding the elevator down to the first floor. How dare he insult her like that? Yeah she may have been handcuffed to his couch, but still! She was great at what she did.  
  
He was just better, her mind told her.  
  
She growled at herself, thinking about Heero the whole way home.  
  
Walking into her apartment, she didn't even bother turning on the lights. She walked straight to her bedroom and threw herself down on the bed, barely registering the numbers on her alarm clock.  
  
3:19.  
  
Amirah groaned and rolled over. She'd think about something to tell Mr. Dalton tomorrow. She'd just have to lie, because she was determined to never go back to Heero's apartment again.  
  
That night, all she could dream about were prussian eyes. 


	6. Chapter 5

Heero leaned against the brick wall, the course nature of the stone digging into his shoulder, but he paid it no heed. His senses were focused on her. He was bathed in the shadows from her apartment building, invisible to anyone walking by. His eyes were trained on the window five stories up, alert for any changes. He had watched her go into the apartment building, watched the light turn on in the window, and then turn off again. That was her room. It was dark now, and had been for the past several minutes. 'She must be asleep,' he thought to himself. He glanced up at the window one more time before pushing himself off the wall. It was late after all.

He had taken extra precautions while following her home, being careful to stay out of sight at all times, even taking a different route to make himself less noticeable, but it seemed to be a waste of energy. Judging by her ignorance of her surroundings and the way she stared at the ground the whole way, she wouldn't have noticed him if he had been walking right in front of her. Walking away from the building, he shook his head in slight amusement. He watched as the cracks from the sidewalk disappeared under his feet as he walked through the city. He didn't know what to think of her. She was incredibly sloppy for a 'spy', that much he learned from that morning in the café.

'Yet, she did manage to sneak onto your computer when you had left her handcuffed to your couch,' a rational voice quietly reminded him. She did have some abilities, and she could disappear if she wanted to. He remembered how fast she had run when he first caught her outside the café. That had certainly shocked him, and not much surprised him these days.

He slowly made his way home, trying to sort out the facts in his mind. She didn't have much experience. That much was obvious—she had led him right to her apartment after all. It apparently hadn't occurred to her that he had let her go simply to follow her home. Something in the back of his mind told him there was another reason he had let her go. There was something in her eyes when he questioned her, something painfully familiar—failure, or at least the fear of it. He knew she was afraid of him, more precisely afraid of being _caught_ by him, but there was something else there. She was more afraid of something else. She was more afraid of failing whatever it is she was assigned to do. He knew how that felt, how success meant everything, and failure meant the end of everything. He knew he couldn't press her.

He had watched her as she raged war against her emotions. His sharp eyes had caught the different emotions displayed on her face; he saw her fear, uncertainty, and shame. She didn't seem to know what she was doing, why she was doing it, and he felt for her.

His mood darkened with that thought. He didn't feel for anyone, it got in the way of work. Emotional attachments were a weakness that the enemy could use against you, and he had enemies. He'd have to make sure to keep his distance from her.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't keep his eye on her.

Things had been finally calming down for him. Sure, he was as restless as he had ever been, but he had finally gotten into the routine of his new life. He would get up, shower, bury himself in his work, complete whatever mission he was sent on, and go home just in time to start again. This morning should have been the same. His apartment building came into sight as he turned a last corner. He glared up at it, as if it was the source of all his recent problems.

It was in the last few months that things started happening. Murders were occurring within the drug rings in the city. Normally the NEA would think little of it; there were always killings between the different gangs. But the murders had suddenly turned strategic. Someone was in control. One by one the different gangs were being demolished. The first proposal the NEA entertained was that there was some sort of vigilante out there, a Batman in New York. Sakura and Tetsuya had been put on the case. Soon after being given the case, the two found evidence that this was more than some vigilante; it was someone in the underground, someone of power. The two must have gotten close, because a few weeks afterwards they had turned up missing, and later were found dead.

Heero eyebrows furrowed. Things had gotten real serious. He had been assigned the case in their place, and now he was being followed. His rational brain concluded that this was more than mere coincidence. His stomach dropped at the thought that the girl was involved in all this somehow, and he wondered at the feeling. Why did he find himself concerned about her? He's always followed his rule of never getting emotionally involved on the job, what was different about her?

His overactive mind reminded him that he's never gotten emotionally involved in his life. He growled low in his throat and finally entered his apartment.

After showering and changing into some loose sweatpants, Heero lay down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. To the world he looked dead, but inside he was a mass of activity. His battle-trained mind refused to allow him sleep until this mystery was solved. He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and rested his hands in his head. For a moment he wished he was back in the war. Things seemed much simpler back then. You knew who your enemy was. But the war was over now. His life was based on strategy, on out-maneuvering the enemy, on espionage. This was what he was trained for. He couldn't find contentment with anything less.

Exhaling loudly through his nose, he stood up and walked over to the computer, turning it on with practiced ease. He sat down in the chair, ignoring the ache in his body telling him he should be asleep. He had gotten used to the ache and was quick to suppress it. He had gone days even weeks with minimal to no sleep while in the war. The screen flickered to life, the cold light reflecting off the hard contours of his body. He quickly accessed a recent documents list and found the list the girl had looked through earlier. The list was long; she had looked through practically everything. He was not concerned; there was nothing on there that could have possibly given her any information. He rested his elbows on the desk and pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes. Who did she work for? She had told him "some guy" when he had pressed her, but he knew that was only a half truth. She knew who he was, it showed through the fear in her eyes. If she was involved with what's been happening, she could very well be the key to the case. If she had access to whoever was in charge…

A small shudder ran down his spine at where the thought took him. Heero hated the idea of using someone as bait. It was a dangerous role to play, but the girl has already put herself in a dangerous position. His brows furrowed at the protective instinct that swelled within him at the thought of her being in danger. He had always been protective, he spent many years protecting the Vice Foreign Minister during and after the war, but this was a girl he didn't even know, a girl who was working with the enemy. The small voice in his head noted that he didn't think of her as the enemy, only associated with it.

Pushing the feelings aside, once again, he turned his eyes back to the screen. His most recent report was now open on the screen, and he reread his words. He had dropped the bullet shell he found earlier to the office and was waiting for the analysis to be done. Hopefully it would shed some light onto who exactly he was after.

The monitor flicked to blackness as he turned off the computer. The moon from the window shed minimal light on his silhouetted figure as he made his way back to his bed. He lied back down, once again staring up at the ceiling in thought.

Heero made his way to work after a night of thinking. He walked through the main glass doors of the NEA building and nodded once in greeting to the man at the front desk.

"Hey Heero, you get lucky last night?" the man asked in a light-hearted voice. Heero looked over at him and raised a single eyebrow in question. "You're one lucky man, Heero, that girlfriend of yours is hot!"

"Hn." Heero walked away at that, hearing the man mumble something about her being able to visit his apartment anytime. 'It must be her,' he thought, 'she came to my work, she got my address.' She must have gotten it earlier yesterday. When he brought her to his apartment last night, he had assumed she didn't know where he lived. Had she already been there? Had she already been inside? The thoughts floated around in his head. Oddly enough, he felt the corner of his mouth lift in a smirk at the image of her coming in, pretending to be his girlfriend. It couldn't have required much convincing on her part, that guy was still enamored with her.

He sat down at his desk once he reached his office. If she was still trying to follow him, this is where she would come next. After her failing attempt at his home computer, the next logical place to look would be at work, after all. And she already had an ally downstairs with the clerk. It would be easy for her to get in. He figured it wouldn't hurt to let her sneak around, everything confidential was protected. In fact, this could work out to his benefit. He could test out his theory. He quickly accessed his report on the drug ring murders, his fingers flying over the keyboard. He reread the information, added in a few details that would be deleted later, and saved it.

Time passed as usual for Heero, until it was time for his lunch break. He normally never took lunch, but he needed to leave the office. He was sure she was waiting for him outside the office. As scared as she was last night, he could tell she wasn't the type to give up. He grabbed his laptop, walked back down to the lobby, all the while ignoring the questioning looks of the other employees as he walked by. He swiftly exited the building. Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement from a familiar dark head.

He had been right. Part of him rejoiced; she was a challenge. Of course he was in control, but she entertained a part of him that hadn't been worked since his missions in the war. He was outmaneuvering the enemy.

He rounded the corner and sat on a bench that was nearby. Flipping open his laptop, he quickly logged into the NEA's network and accessed his personal desktop, and simply waited. From here, he could watch everything she clicked on, everything she read.

After about ten minutes of waiting, twelve if he cared to be specific, the activity started. He watched the screen as document after document was opened on the desktop, scrolled through, and then closed just as quickly. He smirked at her obvious frustration. She would find nothing.

Then it happened.

After a pause in her activity, she finally clicked on the file he had saved for her. He had titled it 'DD case', hoping it would have an affect on her. It obviously did. She took her time scrolling through the file, obviously reading every word. She got to the end of the file, and the activity stopped.

Now he knew for sure. He didn't know exactly what her connection was, but now he knew there was one. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. The small, slightly irrational part of him had hoped she was innocent, but she wasn't. She was involved with the enemy, and that made her responsible in his eyes.

Glancing at his watch, Heero decided he had left her in there long enough. It was time to go back to the office. He shut down the laptop, stood up, and slowly walked back to the building, giving her ample time to make her escape. Entering through the glass doors, he walked by the clerk, who winked at him, and made his way to the elevator. He stood in the elevator, waiting for the doors to close. A movement from the stairwell door caught his eye. The doors started closing as he turned his head to face her. He watched as she quickly closed the door and looked around to make her escape. At the last minute, as if sensing his stare, she turned to him. They made eye contact for a second before the steel walls of the elevator shut off his view of her.

Heero stared at his blurry reflection in the semi-reflective walls of the elevator. In that brief moment of contact, he had seen an emotion he couldn't recognize. She had looked almost lost. He knew it had something to do with what she had read on his computer, she hadn't liked what she had seen.

The ding of the elevator reverberated through the small room and the doors slid open once again. He made his way into his office, noticing that everything was how he left it. If he hadn't watched her come out of it, he may not have even known she was there. He sat down at his desk and looked at his computer through prussian eyes. He needed to plan out his next step carefully. He needed to check out her apartment. There would definitely be something there that will strengthen the evidence of her involvement, and hopefully lead him further in the right direction. Right now, she was all he had. This drug ring was highly elusive. The murders were all very clean with no indication of the perpetrator. They had managed to find meeting locations of the syndicate, but only after the fact, and those held little evidence if any at all.

She was his ticket. She was connected, involved enough to get him inside if he made the right moves. He quickly finished up the reports that were due that day checked any loose ends. He looked out the window. It was getting late, the sun was already setting. He hadn't realized he had been at the office so long. He stood up and grabbed his keys. It was time to go. Hopefully she didn't go back to her apartment; that would give him the opportunity to check the place out.

He made his way out of the building for the second and last time that day and walked with sure steps in the direction of her apartment. He quickened his pace until he was standing in the same place he had been the night before. He was leaning up against the brick wall, staring at the window. To his disappointment, she was home. He could see her figure walking back and forth behind the sheer curtains on her window.

He didn't know what to do now. Should he wait here for an opportunity to present itself? He was a patient man, but he hated to waste his time. The movement in the window suddenly stopped and he waited to see what would happen. He walked up to the wall of her building and slowly looked around it to the front doors. Just as he thought, they opened a moment later to reveal his target.

He wasn't going to waste his time after all.

She quickly crossed the street, making sure to stay out of the way of the oncoming traffic. Once safely on the other side, she walked down the street towards the park. Heero walked in the same direction, careful to stay out of sight. She was in a hurry. His adrenaline began to course through his body. His gut feeling was telling him that she was going to lead him to an important clue, maybe an answer to one of the riddles surrounding the case, and his gut instinct was never wrong.

They made their way to the park. Heero remained strategically behind the trees, a good distance from her. He watched as she paused at the outskirts of the park. There wasn't anywhere to go. There was a fence that ran alongside the park, marking the city limit. She was currently walking alongside the bushes that grew along the fence; she seemed to be looking for something. He dared to walk closer, knowing her concentration was being focused on whatever she was trying to find. He was beginning to feel disappointed; it seemed this little escapade was going to be a dead end.

That's when she disappeared.

Heero blinked a couple times before rushing over to the spot where she once was. After taking a closer look, he noticed there was a slight hole in the fence where the metal had been slashed away. The bushes had hidden it from sight. He slowly leaned forward and eased his body through the gap. It was now dark outside, and there were no more street lamps to light his way. He felt his eyes rapidly adjust to the dark, thanks to his early training. He quickly walked alongside the fence. He could see her dark form making its way through the wreckage that used to be an extension of the city they just left. The city had stopped at the park for a reason. Most of the town had been destroyed back during the war, and everything was still being rebuilt. This part of town had never been cleared away, money being spent elsewhere.

Her form stilled, seemingly trying to find her way, until she started off in a new direction. He followed her as she walked towards an old building made out of wood. It was small, only one story, and nearly collapsed. It was still standing, but a good portion of the far wall had been burned away, along with the majority of the roof.

A masculine voice startled him out of his surveillance. He hadn't heard anyone else around. He heard the girls' soft voice respond to whatever the man had said. He quickly scanned the area, eyes falling on a nearby tree. He nimbly crept up to the tree, straining his eyes in the dark to find a suitable branch. Once he found it, he silently leaped up into it, situating himself so he could see most of the room from what remained of the roof.

His eyes had fully adjusted to the dark by now and he could clearly see the figures of the girl and a large man.

Heero couldn't help the excitement that flowed through his veins. Now he would learn something of value. Finally, he would get some answers.


	7. Chapter 6

Amirah shifted her weight again and forced her hands to stop fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. It had taken a whole hour to convince herself to come here, and it was taking all she had to not turn around and run back home. She glanced at her watch for the third time in the last ten minutes before returning her attention to the building she had been watching for the past three hours.

Shifting her weight again, she leaned against the tree she had befriended. When she had woken up that morning, she had all but given up. She was meeting Mr. Dalton tonight, and she had nothing—absolutely nothing. But what could she do? She had done all she could, and had gotten caught for her efforts. She wasn't trained for this kind of thing! The other guys she had followed—they had been easy. They had never known she even existed! This thought brought back the chilling memory of how they had ended up dead. She had ignored the facts for awhile now, trusting Mr. Dalton's judgment on the matter. Now was not the time to have doubts.

A dark head leaving the building startled her from her thoughts. She took a step forward in anticipation. The man turned towards her for a moment and her stomach did a flip when she didn't recognize the face. It wasn't him.

She released the breath she didn't realize she was holding, forcing herself to relax and focus her attention. She was here for a reason. She had finally convinced herself to go to Heero's work—the only place she hadn't tried yet. A small voice told her that he had caught her before; it was suicide to try again. She couldn't help the shudder that ran through her body at the thought of having to look into his Prussian eyes again.

A quick movement caught her eye. She instantly recognized him as he walked out of the building with unexplainable determination. Her heart stopped for a moment before pounding painfully in her chest. This was her chance—he had left his office, with his laptop no less! She had a little time. She quickly made her way over to the front door and slipped inside.

She took a deep breath and forced her heart to beat at a normal rate. She needed to be calm. She pasted what she hoped to be a seductive smile on her face as she approached the clerk's desk. He instantly recognized her and gave her a smile of his own. She leaned over the counter, making sure to give him a good view of her cleavage.

"How'd your little surprise party go last night?" he asked with a sleazy grin. "Mr. Yui seemed a little out of it this morning."

Amirah inwardly rolled her eyes, but responded none-the-less. "Things went better than expected. I was actually hoping to surprise him in his office."

"Sorry, ma'am, but you just missed him. He just walked out." Amirah put on her best pout.

"Awe, just my luck." She put her finger to her chin and looked down for a moment. Suddenly, she stood up straight. "I know! I'll wait for him in his office!"

"Oh, I don't think so ma'am, protocol prohibits civilians upstairs without a member of staff present; you best wait for him in the front." He patted her had in sympathy. Amirah glanced at the clock on the wall behind him. She was on a time-limit here!

"Oh, come on," she whispered in a sultry voice, leaning closer to him. "You can make an exception for me. I promise I won't break anything," she added with a wink. The clerk chuckled in amusement and Amirah couldn't help but beam a little in her victory.

"Fine, but if anyone catches you, you're on your own—" he gave her a stern look, "—tenth floor, room 1031. It's right at the end of the hall, you can't miss it."

She flashed him a winning smile and murmured a quick thank you. She walked over to the elevators and patiently waited. The minute the elevator doors closed, the smile slipped from her lips. Her eyes downcast, she bit her bottom lip in worry. She lifted her eyes to look at her blurred reflection in the metal doors. Too soon, the doors opened to reveal the hallway to Heero's office. She straightened her back and entered. The room was much as she expected—simple and clean. There was a desk directly in front of her, an almost exact copy of the one in his apartment.

She silently walked over to his desk and slid into the chair. The computer, to her surprise, was already on. She had thought she'd have to break a code or something. This gave her a little more time. Immediately accessing his files, she quickly began sifting through them. Like on his home computer, she wasn't finding anything. She could feel her frustration growing as each precious second ticked by.

Then she saw it. Her eyes widened as she read the file name. D.D. Case. '_D.D? Mr. Dalton?_ _How would Heero know about him?' s_he wondered to herself. Almost hesitantly, she brought up the file, her eyes only growing wider as she read through it.

Sentences swarmed in her mind. '_Evidence links D.D. to recent murders of Agents Sakura and Tetsuya…Expected to be leader in major drug ring…Bullet sent to lab came back matching those found at murders of other powerful ring leaders…Currently following suspect thought to be involved with D.D…._'

A sob-like gasp escaped Amirah's throat as she re-read Heero's notes. Frustrated tears filled her eyes and she angrily blinked the away. She knew Mr. Dalton was a shady character, but a drug dealer? He had told her he was doing good—bringing down the bad, cleaning up the city; and she had believed him up until yesterday. Her head was beginning to spin. Everything was turning on her. Was Heero the good guy? Was _she_ the bad guy?

She grabbed her head with both hands, as if trying to block out the accusations that were now filling her mind. Voices nearing the door woke her out of her reverie. She realized she had allowed too much time to go by. She quickly closed down the files and covered her tracks. The voices were now getting fainter, she had to leave now. Glancing around quickly to make sure everything was how it had been, she left the office as silently as she had come. Despite the confused haze filling her mind, her getaway instincts were in charge. Avoiding the elevator, to wipe out any chance of an accidental run-in with Heero, she slipped into the stairwell. She quickly went down the ten floors.

Making sure the coast was clear, she took a moment to catch her breath. She had made it. Somehow, though, she found no comfort in the thought. She silently slipped into the lobby. On her way to the doors leading outside, she got that tingling sensation that told her she was being watched. She swung her gaze around and her stomach dropped when she found herself caught in the gaze she never wanted to see again.

Heero.

His blue eyes bore into her mind, unleashing the flood of doubt she had been valiantly holding back. She couldn't help the hopelessness that flooded over her body. The contact was cut off suddenly when the doors of the elevator closed. She blinked, not even realizing he had been in the elevator. She looked down and bit her lip. He knew now. Maybe he knew all along.

_He_ was the good guy.

Her feet led her home and inside her apartment. She sat on her bed and stared at the black screen of her T.V. Her mind was blank, her body numb. She curled into a ball and let the tears come. After what seemed like five minutes of complete, body-shaking sobs, she felt herself begin to calm.

She slowly opened her eyes, surprised to find it was no longer light outside. Her half-lidded eyes lazily strayed to her alarm clock and then shot open wide when she read the numbers. She had less than an hour before she had to meet with Mr. Dalton! She jumped out of bed and paced back and forth.

"I must have fallen asleep," she said out loud to herself, as if it would solve her problem. "God, how could I do that? Here I am, about to meet with my boss, who ends up being a major criminal by the way, and I decide to take a nice little nap." She stopped pacing for a minute, before starting up again. "What am I supposed to say? Hey Mr. D, I didn't learn much about Heero, other than he's a cop trying to take you down since you murdered too many people…and I helped," she stopped pacing and sat down at the edge of her bed. She put her head in her hands. "I'm dead."

She spent the next half hour weighing her options. She knew she couldn't tell him everything she knew, but she wasn't skilled enough to keep everything from him. She would have to play her cards right to get out of this in one piece. All too soon, it was time for her to leave. She made her way out of the apartment building and in the direction of the park. She kept replaying the scenario in her head. She was going to tell him the basic facts—where Heero lived and worked, his schedule, etc. She decided to mention his connection to Agents Sakura and Tetsuya, but play it off as nothing. She also decided she was going to forego any mention of the case Heero was currently assigned to. It would be best not to let Mr. Dalton know she had any inkling as to what he was up to. That would give her time to formulate some sort of plan on getting the hell out of there.

She realized she was already at the park and quickly located the tear in the fence hidden behind a thick coat of leaves. Slipping through the slight hole, she hurried over to the old building they used as a meeting place. Her eyes were having trouble adjusting to the sudden absence of streetlights, but the path was familiar by now. It soon came into view and she slowed her pace. She had only met with Mr. Dalton directly a handful of times; a handful of times too many in her opinion. He was, simply put, a scary man who used intimidation to get his way. She slowly walked in through a rather large hole in one of the walls.

"You're late," a deep voice broke through the tense quiet. Amirah jumped at the sound and spun around to face the source. She could only make out the outline of his body as the semi-intact roof hid him from the light of the full moon. He was closer to her than she would have preferred.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Dalton, I was—"

A loud slap rang through the still night. Red flashed behind her eyelids as a sharp pain pulsed on the right side of her face. She stumbled from the force of the blow and looked up at him, startled.

"I will not be kept waiting." His voice was deadly calm. Amirah merely nodded, keeping her eyes lowered, trying to resist the urge to cradle her injured cheek. He turned away from her and gazed out into the ruins of what had once been part of the city. "It's such a shame this part was never rebuilt. It was so beautiful before the war destroyed it. But you already know that, don't you," he turned to face her again. "After all, you used to live here." He paused for a moment. "What have you learned about Heero?"

She was caught off-guard, her mind distracted with the sudden memory of her parent's house his words had called to mind. She took a deep breath, readying herself.

"He works at the NEA office downtown," she began, proud that her voice didn't shake. She relayed the information she had rehearsed earlier, the basic facts about his daily schedule, where he was when, things of that nature. Now came the hard part. "I managed to sneak onto his computer at work. He's working on some case. It has something to do with Sakura and Tetsuya, although I'm not sure what. I didn't have much time. I think he fought in the war or something; it's hard to sneak past him."

She stopped here, trying to keep herself from babbling. Mr. Dalton had been silent during her whole report, never once taking his eyes off her. It was making her jittery. She lowered her eyes to her hands, focusing her attention on keeping her breathing calm.

"I see," he finally stated, so softly that her eyes darted to his in worry. After a lengthy pause, he continued. "Do you remember the fire, Amirah?" She was startled at the change of subject. Wasn't he going to question her about Heero?

She slowly nodded her head, and then added in a quiet voice, "Sometimes I dream about it."

"Hmm," he acknowledged, nodding as if that answered everything. "It's so odd, how that fire started. The way it began in the kitchen, the gas from the stove so unfortunately left on. The police wrote it off as misfortunate accident, but you and I know better, don't we?" He paused here, as if waiting for a confirmation, but she remained silent. He continued on. "I did a bit of digging, learned that your old man had pissed someone off; someone important, and he suffered the consequences for that."

Lightning fast, he grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back, forcing her to lean back into him. His other hand rested lightly on her collarbone. Her breathing hitched when she felt his breath by her ear.

"It's bad to piss off someone who's important," he whispered into her ear.

A soft whimper escaped her throat when she felt his hand on her collarbone slide down to rest above her left breast.

"Such a fast heartbeat. Are you scared, Amirah?" The chuckle that followed scared her more than his words. What was going on? What was he doing? Her heart was racing—she had never been as scared of him as she was now. She wanted to cry out, struggle against him, but she knew it would be pointless. There was no one around to help her.

"You know what pisses me off?" he asked, almost carelessly, his voice still a deadly whisper. "Liars." He whipped her around so she was facing him, but still kept a harsh grip on her wrist. This close to him, Amirah could make out the features of his face despite the darkness. His cold black eyes stared down into her frightened blue ones. "What are you hiding from me?"

She forcefully swallowed back the words that rose in her throat. She wanted to yell at him, fight him, scream that he was nothing but a murderer; that he had saved her off the streets so that she could do his dirty work. But she didn't, instead she looked him boldly in the eye and told him what she hoped he would take as truth.

"I told you everything I know. I just need more time."

He looked at her for a second longer, then finally released her wrist and took a step back. She breathed an inward sigh of relief.

"Very well, you have one more week." His voice held no trace of the malice he had just displayed a minute earlier. He slowly walked passed her. She remained where she was, staring straight ahead as he walked by, refusing to give into the urge to shrink away. He stopped suddenly, and turned towards her. "One more thing, Amirah," the way he said her name made the fine hairs on her neck stand on end. "Don't disappoint me again."

Before she could respond, she saw the butt of a gun swing towards her head. Pain lashed through her temple before black dots clouded her vision. She felt herself land on the cement floor, her shoulder taking the brunt of the fall. She dimly heard Mr. Dalton's retreating footsteps and waited until she was sure it was safe to move. She pushed herself to her hands and knees, shaking from the strain. Using the frame of the wall for support, she managed to stand up. She tentatively touched her temple and winced at the amount of pain and blood she felt. She had to get home.

Carefully making her way outside, she followed what was left of the side of the building. She was slowly gaining confidence in her ability to make it home when she turned the corner and found herself staring straight into the chest of Heero Yui. Her body jerked back in surprise and she would have fallen if his hand hadn't shot out to steady her.

"What…What are you—" she tried to formulate the word, but the shock of everything and the pain in her head was getting to her.

"I need your help," he stated in a monotone voice. She just stared blankly at him. "In return, I offer you my protection."

Amirahmaintained her blank expression. Her brain had given up trying to understand what was going on around her. She opened her mouth to ask him to repeat himself when her body decided she'd had enough surprises for the day. Her vision tunneled and she felt herself fall into his arms before the blessed blackness took over.

--_Hot tears were pouring down her eyes, mixing with the ash on her cheeks. Smoke was filling the room, intent on blocking out everything. Flames were hungrily consuming everything in their reach. A young Amirah was huddled in the only corner the flames had yet to reach. Smoke filled her vision as her eyes searched wildly for her parents. _

_"Mommy! Daddy! Help!" she called out, fear thick in her voice. The attempt left her in a coughing fit as her lungs filled with smoke, causing even more tears to pour from her eyes. She had to find her parents—they would keep her safe. Her small seven-year-old body shook with fatigue as she forced herself into a standing position. _

_The heat from the fire burned her skin s she stumbled her way through the room. "Mommy! Dad—" a blast from her right cut her off. She screamed as the force from the explosion knocked her off her feet, smashing her into the half-burnt coffee table_.—

Amirah's eyes shot open, her body jerking into a sitting position. The quick movement sent a bolt of pain through her temple, but she ignored it as she tried to get her bearings. She could still feel the heat of the flames on her skin. A hand landed heavily on her shoulder and she shot back into the wall behind her in her shock. She gasped in surprise and prepared to defend herself when Heero's smooth voice flowed over her. He switched on the lamp on the nightstand and light filtered into the room. She shifted her position and looked him over. He was sitting in a chair he had pulled up next to the bed.

"Calm down. You had a nightmare." Then he added, almost as an afterthought, "You're crying."

She instantly raised her hand to her cheek and felt the wetness there, confirming his observation.

"I'm fine," she muttered, quickly wiping off the shameful evidence. "What am I doing here?" She stole a quick glance around the room and instantly recognized it as Heero's bedroom. She glanced out the window, it was still dark outside.

'_What happened to me_?' she thought to herself. Her head and shoulder were pounding. She tentatively felt around the sore spots and felt the smooth cloth of bandages. She tried to think back to what happened, but her mind was drawing a blank.

"I followed you last night. Your rendezvous didn't go as well as you had hoped, I imagine." His voice was calm, but it held a note of accusation.

She lowered her eyes, for the life of her not knowing why she felt bad. Her eyebrows furrowed as she retraced her steps from earlier that night. She remembered meeting with Mr. Dalton. He had accused her of lying, which she had been, and then…then he attacked her. Her eyes shot back up to his as the fear she had felt earlier bubbled up. He instantly reacted, placing his hand over hers.

"You are safe here, with me." His voice was soft.

She felt her fear slip away with his words; although her logical side warned her he could be just as dangerous. He released her hand and she instantly felt the loss. She took a calming breath.

"You were there, I remember seeing you. You…you heard everything then?" A single nod confirmed her fear. He knows! He knows she was working for the same man he was after. "So what now, are you going to arrest me?" She half hoped he would—at least it would end all the deceit. His response surprised her.

"That depends on you." He shifted his position in the chair so that he was facing her completely. "I propose a deal. You will continue as you are, meeting with Dalton, finding out all you can—"

"You mean I'll be your spy," she interjected.

"Yes, you'll be my spy. You will tell me all you know, and help me to get him."

"And in return?" she asked, eyeing him warily.

"In return, you will have my protection—and your freedom."

She watched him, trying to read the sincerity of his words. But reading him was like trying to read a brick wall. His eyes gave away nothing. It was a dangerous offer. She would have to keep lying to Mr. Dalton. She shuddered, if he ever found out… She assessed Heero, considering his offer of protection. Even sitting, he had a powerful presence. He exuded strength. Not for the first time, she admired his powerful build. His offer was awfully tempting.

"How can you guarantee my protection?" The pain in her head reminded her of the seriousness of angering Mr. Dalton.

"You will live here." She sputtered indignantly, but he continued on smoothly. "We will pretend to be lovers; it won't be hard to pull off since you've taken the liberty of informing my office," he sent a small glare in her direction. She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. Of course he would find out what she had told the clerk there! She bowed her head, appearing to consider her options. In reality, though, her decision was already made. She was ready to be one of the good guys. She looked him in the eye and held out her hand.

"When do I move in?" She couldn't help the grin that spread across her features.

"Tomorrow." He grasped her hand in his, shaking it once. "It's late, you need sleep. We'll walk in the morning."

She watched him stand up and walk to the door. She felt strange, just this morning she was spying on Heero for Mr. Dalton. Now, her role was completely reversed.

"Heero!" she called out, just as he was closing the door behind him. He stepped back inside and looked at her. Her mouth went suddenly dry, and to her surprise she felt a little nervous. "Thank you," she whispered, somewhat shyly.

He simply nodded once in acknowledgement and left. '_I hope I made the right choice_,' was her last thought as she snuggled down into the covers, mindful of her shoulder, and fell into a dreamless sleep.


	8. Chapter 7

Lying on the couch, Heero wondered if he had made the right decision. It was unlike him to doubt his decisions once made, and the feeling made him uncomfortable.

He had known Amirah would accept his invitation. She was already in a dangerous situation, and could fare no worse under his care. Still, he didn't like using her as bait. He didn't doubt his ability to protect her; he had been extensively trained to do as much. It was not knowing who he was up against that had doubt creeping into his thoughts.

Heero put the thoughts aside for the moment, acknowledging his body's call for sleep, and quickly fell into a light slumber.

* * *

The sounds of movement coming from his bedroom woke him immediately. His body tensed before remembering the events of the previous night. Soon, he heard the bedroom door open, and decided to feign sleep.

He listened silently as she passed his position on the couch and made her way into the kitchen. After a moment, he heard her sigh in frustration, undoubtedly do to the meager amount of food he kept in his house. He was rarely home, and so often ate out when he felt compelled to eat.

He heard her pull something out of the refrigerator and set up the toaster. Her short gasp of pain followed by the sound of a pan hitting the floor had him standing up quickly, alert to any possible threats. Her back was turned to him, but by the way she was holding her injured shoulder, he reasoned that it was the heaviness of the pan that had caused her pain.

Her back was still turned to him so he walked over to her to make sure she was ok. However, at his touch, she shrieked and spun around, the action making her grab her head in pain.

"Heero!" she gasped as he steadied her. "I didn't see you there."

Heero raised an eyebrow at the faint blush on her cheeks. He gestured to the pan on the floor.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She immediately bent down and picked up the pan in her good arm. "Oh, I'm making breakfast. I thought you might be hungry," she answered, smiling softly.

Heero nodded his head, telling her to continue. After a few moments of watching her, he sniffed the air. "Is something burning?"

At these words, Amirah gasped and quickly went to the toaster, popping out two browner than usual pieces of bread. She turned back to Heero with a self-conscious grin on her face.

"I hope you like your toast well done."

* * *

After eating their breakfast of eggs and slightly burnt toast, Amirah cleared away their plates and settled herself down once again. She knew it was time to work out the details of their arrangement.

At Amirah's brief look of pain, Heero decided to start off the interrogation slowly.

"How old are you?"

The question obviously surprised her as her eyes quickly made contact with his. "I'm twenty," she replied, still not taking her eyes off him.

While she was a little older than she looked, she still seemed far too young to be involved with the drug ring.

"Where are your parents?" he asked, although he knew full well what had happened to them. He had run a quick background check on her the previous day. He didn't like the way her shoulders tensed with the question.

"They... passed away when I was five. I was raised in foster homes," she replied after a moment of silence. Heero noticed that she refused to break eye contact with him, as if she had something to prove to him.

Here was where the questions got tricky. He didn't want to push her, even though it was implied in their deal that she would tell him everything. However, he found his worries were for nothing as she plowed on with her story.

"When I turned eighteen, I was currently at the orphanage and therefore kicked out. I had no family and nowhere to go, so I did what I had to in order survive, basically living on the streets and stealing food," she quickly looked at him, as if waiting for some sort of reproof.His eyebrows furrowed. He knew how the streets could be; they were no place for a young girl. She continued on when he said nothing after the slight pause.

"Anyway, I had survived on my own for only a few weeks before I met Drake Dalton." Here she paused, breaking her eye contact with him, seemingly unwilling to go on with her story.

"Dalton is the man you work for?" Heero asked, immediately connecting his name to the symbol the drug ring went by-- two intertwining D's. Amirah shifted uncomfortably."Yes. He offered me a job. Being as I was barely surviving on my own, I accepted. He would give me a name, indirectly of course, and I would find out all I could about the person, reporting back to him. In return, he gave me what I needed to live... food, clothing, and my apartment."Heero watched her as she spoke, looking for any hint of dishonesty. She was obviously condensing her story, likely leaving out an important detail or two, but he had expected no less. She was going against the most powerful man she knew. The information she held was the only thing keeping her out of jail.

Heero leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "These men you would follow, who were they?""Most ended up being drug dealers, but a few... the last man I followed..." Amirah swallowed hard and visibly paled, "the last man was a cop."

Heero's eyes narrowed at this. A cop? Guilt practically radiated off Amirah in waves, and then he knew. It was her. She was responsible for Sakura's death. He stood up quickly, causing the chair to scrape against the floor harshly.

He heard a gasp escape Amirah as she quickly broke eye contact and hung her head. The action infuriated him for some reason. She had killed the cop that was previously on this case, a good cop, and it didn't matter how indirectly she was involved. Here she was, sitting in his kitchen, under _his_ protection, after all that she had done.

He knew the anger was showing through his eyes, and quickly turned his back to her and tried to get himself under control. He was supposed to be an emotionless soldier. What was it about this woman that made him lose his control?

A small noise made him turn back to look at her and he found she had left her chair and was trying to inch herself towards the door. She was looking at him, and immediately froze when he caught her gaze. He noted that there were tears in her eyes. Her voice was shaky when she spoke.

"I'm sorry. I- I didn't know who he was until recently. I thought he was a corrupt cop," she swallowed and continued inching to the door. Her eyes were downcast and her voice so soft that Heero had to strain to hear her. "I knew deep down, though. I knew I was doing something wrong. But, I didn't care, I needed the information Dalton was giving me in exchange for what I knew. I… I know I helped kill an innocent man."

By now, tears were running freely down her face. She was almost at the door.

"I shouldn't be here…" her voice trailed off, her hand now on the handle.

Heero watched her for a moment as she slowly tried to make her escape. He took in her injuries she had received from Dalton. It had truly been one of the most difficult moments in his life when he saw that man strike her. It had taken every ounce of his will power not to help her. But he couldn't have given away his position. He had nearly broken the branch he was holding in his strain to keep himself stationary.

Heero's voice stopped her movement. "Why didn't you tell him about me?"

The question had been on his mind since he had watched her talk to Dalton. He knew she withheld information about him being on Dalton's case. He had seen her read that article he had left on his computer for her to find. He knew she knew about him. He had to know why she lied to Dalton.

Amirah was staring at him, motionless. The question seemed to have taken her by surprise.

"I... found some evidence that connected Dalton to a drug ring, about his…murders." She gave a harsh, self-depreciating laugh. Heero didn't like hearing it come from her. "But you know this, you saw me at your work. You always seem a step ahead."

She leaned against the wall and sunk down to the floor, holding her knees to her chest. "I couldn't go through with it, knowing what he was, what I had done already. Turning over that cop had been a major mistake, and I wasn't willing to do it again. I realized what I had always really known—I was working for the bad guy. Believe me, it wasn't my intention."

She lowered her head to her knees, causing her voice to become muffled. "Turns out he is a hard man to fool."

Heero watched her hug herself on the floor. She looked so small and helpless at the moment. He knew she had been thrust into a situation she couldn't control. A small twinge of guilt gnawed at him. He was using her to get to the enemy. He was practically throwing her to the wolves. He silently walked to where Amirah was and sat down next to her. His shoulder brushed hers and he felt her immediately stiffen.

"We've made a deal, haven't we?" Heero's voice came out harsher than he meant. He softened it. "Haven't we?"

She slowly raised her head and he met her tearstained gaze. At her lost, yet hopeful look, he felt another crack form in the shield around his heart.

"You… you would still protect me, even after…" her voice wavered.

"What you've done is in the past. I've done things in the war I'm not proud of." He remembered back when he was fighting with what should have been his allies. He had been tricked by the enemy into thinking they were his enemy. If they hadn't discovered their mistake in time, the war would have definitely turned out differently.

He closed his eyes to the memory and forced himself back to the present. "If we work together, we can bring Dalton down."

He looked hard into her eyes. "He won't hurt you again." A slight smile formed on her mouth and she gave a short nod of her head. Heero intended to keep his word.

* * *

They decided to stop by her apartment so she could pack what she needed. If she was going to move in with Heero, she would need her things. The silently rode the elevator up to her floor. Heero watched her as she fidgeted with her fingers. The ride to her apartment had been silent, neither really knowing what to say.

The elevator doors, and he followed Amirah down the hallway until they reached her door. As soon as they got inside, Amirah hurried to the bedroom to get her things together, telling Heero to make himself at home. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Her apartment was tiny, and for the most part bare. He thought his apartment seemed lonely, but there was hardly enough furniture here to even call it an apartment. There was what he assumed to be a kitchen along one wall, a small table in the corner, a beat up couch in the middle, and then the small hallway that Amirah had went down, where he assumed the bedroom and bathroom were.

He remained where he was by the door. After a few minutes, Amirah returned, dragging a small bag behind her.

"Is that all you need?" he asked, gesturing to the small bag she carried. He noticed a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, yeah, this is it," she scratched the back of her head self-consciously, and Heero thought she looked adorable. "I travel light," she added with a grin.

Heero reached for her bag, intent on carrying it for her, but the movement was interrupted by a heavy knock on the door. Fast as lightning, he pulled Amirah against him and moved them against the wall. He had his gun out and rested it lightly on Amirah's lower back. His free arm was wrapped around her, holding her so close he could feel her body trembling. She was looking up at him, her blue eyes wide and frightened.

The desire to protect her was so strong, he wondered at it. The banging on the door interrupted his thoughts. A muffled shout came through the door.

"Amirah! Get your ass over here and open the damn door! I know you're in there!"

Heero heard her hurried whisper and looked back down at the girl in his arms.

"That's Ralph, he works for Dalton. He probably is here to tell me when Dalton wants to see me again. I have to open the door!" her eyes were pleading and at the sound of the continued beating on the door, she tried to pull away.

Heero knew he'd have to let her open the door if he didn't want to blow his cover, but the thought of her being in danger made his chest tighten painfully. He slowly released his hold on her.

"I'll be watching," he whispered in what he hoped to be a comforting tone. At her slight nod, he quickly made his way down the hallway. He slipped into a small closet along the wall and sank into the shadow it provided. With the door open a crack, he had a view of most of the main room.

He watched Amirah rub her hands against her jeans and open the door. A large figure pushed past the partly open door, cursing loudly. Amirah quickly stepped back to allow the large man room.

"What the hell took so long? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't happy to see me," he sneered, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look up at him. Heero tightened his grip on his gun.

Amirah narrowed her eyes and pulled her face out of his grasp.

"What do you want, Ralph," she asked, her voice flat. Heero watched as Ralph's large frame walked to the other side of Amirah and sat down heavily on the couch.

"Mr. Dalton wants to see you," he commented with a grin. "Seemed pretty upset to me. Have you been a bad girl, Amirah?"

Heero watched Amirah clench and unclench her fists at her side. Her voice, however, came out steady.

"When does he want to meet?"

Instead of answering, he pulled an envelope out of his pocket and stretched out his arm to hand it to her. Amirah hesitantly stepped forward to grab the envelope out of his hand and quickly stepped away again once it was safely in her possession. Amirah laid the envelope on the table and turned back to Ralph, gesturing towards the door.

When Ralph made no indication of moving, Heero narrowed his eyes. Amirah seemed equally annoyed, giving Ralph a look that clearly said 'get out'.

Slowly, Ralph pushed himself off the couch, but instead of moving towards the door, he went to the bag Amirah had packed. It was lying on the floor where she had dropped it when Heero grabbed her.

Picking up the bag and giving her a look that made Heero take a step forward in anticipation, Ralph spoke in a deceptively calm voice. "Planning on going somewhere, Amirah?"

"I'm moving," was her simple reply. At Ralph's predatory step towards her, she rushed on. "The guy I'm watching… I've made him think I'm his girlfriend and he asked me to move in with him. It'll make getting any information on him easier."

She added, almost as an afterthought, "It's what Mr. Dalton wants."

Heero mentally smiled in appreciation. Amirah, for all her lack of stalking skills, was at least a quick thinker. However, his mental smirk was wiped away when Ralph approached Amirah again, a dangerous look in his eyes.

"So, you refuse me all those times, yet the second this guy invites you in, you whore out your body to him." He grabbed her arm in what looked to Heero to be a painful grip. Angry beyond means at his words, Heero left his hiding spot in the closet and silently slid against the wall until he was barely hidden.

Ralph pulled Amirah roughly against his body. "You slut!" He raised his hand to strike her as Heero readied his body to attack. Amirah's strong voice stopped them both.

"No!" she shouted. "Stop! If you hurt me, Heero will be suspicious. If I lose this guy because of you, Mr. Dalton will have your head. Let me go."

Ralph hesitated a moment and Heero prepared himself to attack. However, the look of rage on his face disappeared and was replaced with a look of cool calculation.

"Fine," he said, releasing her abruptly, causing her to stumble back a few steps. "But the second you are off this case, you won't be able to hide from my anymore."

With those words, he spun on his heel and marched out the door, slamming it shut behind him. He didn't notice Heero barely concealed, lurking in the hallway. The second the door shut, Heero was out of the hallway and held Amirah in his arms. He noticed she was trembling, but she seemed to be alright. Her large blue eyes looked up at him with relief shining through them. He involuntarily noticed that her eyelashes were very dark and seemed impossibly long.

"Well, that didn't go too bad," she said with a small grin on her face. Heero raised his eyebrow, effectively communicating that he did not appreciate her humor. He gently took her arm where Ralph had grabbed her and narrowed his eyes at the marks he saw there.

"He hurt you," he said, his tone fiercer than he meant it to be.

"Oh… no, I'm alright," she replied distractedly. She stared at her arm where he was holding her for a few seconds before clearing her throat uncertainly. "We, uh, we should probably get going…"

Heero only nodded his head, sliding his hand down her arm until he was holding her hand. He tried to ignore how right it fit into his own. Pulling her along with one arm, he picked up her bag and the discarded envelope Ralph had given her with the other.

"Let's go," was all he said as he took her back to the safety of his apartment.


	9. Chapter 8

Amirah tried to take her time packing. She could have everything packed in a matter of minutes, but she needed some time to think.

Just a few hours earlier she was certain Heero was going to kill her. When she had told him about that cop, she had seen his disgust for her in his eyes. It was too much. She felt guilty enough as it was, she didn't need him to heap any more on her shoulders. The moment he had turned his back on her, all she could think about was escaping. But when she got close enough to the door to open it, he had turned his eyes on her.

Her body had frozen of its own accord. She heard herself talking, but now couldn't even remember what she had said. Whatever it was, though, seemed to have affected him. The anger faded from his eyes and was replaced by a look of confusion. He had asked her why she hadn't confessed what she knew to Dalton. The question had taken her by surprise. She had forgotten he had overheard her whole conversation with Dalton. She had told him the truth then, of what she had learned when she went to Heero's office.

The emotions she had been trying to bury came rushing to the surface at the confession—the guilt, the anguish. Her knees had given out and she slid to the ground. Without her even hearing him move, Heero had sat down next to her, and had spoken the words she was sure she would never forget.

"He won't hurt you again."

A smile formed on her face as she slowly folded another shirt. Somehow, she had no doubt that Heero would prove true to his word. He had such a sincere look in his eyes; she had had no choice but to believe him.

The ride back to her apartment had been the most awkward 15 minutes of her life. The seriousness of their conversation in his kitchen was still weighing heavily on her mind, and if she was honest of herself, Heero's close presence was making her more than a little nervous. She had noticed the first moment she had laid eyes on him at the café that he was an extremely attractive man.

The second they had entered her apartment, she had practically ran to her bedroom to pack. She had needed a few minutes to calm her nerves.

Packing the last of her things into the bag, she took a deep, steadying breath and left the sanctuary of her bedroom. He was still standing by the front door when she came out.

"Is that all you need?" he asked her, a hint of humor in his tone.

She glanced down at the embarrassingly small bag she was holding and could feel herself blushing. Dalton provided what she needed to survive, but nothing more. She muttered something about traveling light when a knock at the door startled her. Before she could even form a reaction, she felt herself yanked against a hard body and pulled towards the fall wall. She could feel his arms wrapped around her, the cold metal of his gun pressing against her lower back protectively.

Her lungs started to burn and she belatedly realized she had been holding her breath. Letting it out slowly, she looked up at him, another loud knock at the door reminding her of their situation. She suddenly felt afraid. The only people who knocked on her door were people working for Dalton, and they couldn't see Heero here! No one was allowed at her apartment. If they saw Heero here, they would know something was up. Their plan would be ruined!

A chillingly familiar voice filtered through the door.

"Amirah! Get your ass over here and open the damn door! I know you're in there!"

Ralph! Amirah couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine. Out of all people to come, it had to be Ralph. She tried to pull away from Heero but found that she couldn't, his arms weren't budging. She quickly tried to explain to him that she needed to open the door.

"That's Ralph, he works for Dalton. He probably is here to tell me when Dalton wants to see me again. I have to open the door!" Her whispering became more urgent at the continued knocking. She seemed to finally get through to him as she felt his grip on her loosen until they weren't touching at all. Amirah stopped herself from stepping back into his protective embrace.

"I'll be watching," he told her, his eyes communicating the meaning behind those words, that he would keep her safe. She could only manage a slight nod and watched as he disappeared into the shadows of her hallway.

Without his presence, she suddenly felt a lot more nervous. She wiped her suddenly clammy hands on her jeans before cautiously approaching her door and opening it a crack. An enormous figure quickly pushed against the open door, forcing her to step back as Ralph entered.

Ralph's booming voice filled the small room.

"What the hell took so long? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't happy to see me," he said, emphasizing his words by grabbing her chin in order to force her to make eye contact. This was a move he pulled countless times on her; by now it failed to inspire any fear. She narrowed her eyes and pulled her head away from his grasp. Making her voice as emotionless as possible, she asked him what he wanted.

Instead of responding, he made his way to her couch and flopped down on it. Amirah felt a shiver of dread go down her spine. This was a bad sign. He wasn't planning on leaving. She forced her mind to focus on his words.

"Mr. Dalton wants to see you," he said with a grin. "Seemed pretty upset to me. Have you been a bad girl, Amirah?"

Ralph always tried to push her like this, but she had never let it get to her before. This time though, his words and his tone had a serious effect on her emotional control. She wondered if it was because she knew Heero was listening. She once again forced her voice to be emotionless.

"When does he want to meet?" she asked, hoping to get to the point of his visit as soon as possible.

Once again he didn't answer. Instead he reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out one of Dalton's signature envelopes. He held it out for her, his eyes daring. This was a game he liked to play. When she would reach for the envelope, he would grab her arm and pull her onto his lap. This was not something she wanted to get into, especially with Heero hiding somewhere nearby. She needed to get Ralph out of here.

Biting the inside of her lip, she reached forward and pulled the envelope out of his grasp, releasing an internal sigh of relief when he didn't try to make a move. Placing the envelope onto the kitchen table, she not-so-subtly pointed to the door. As she expected though, Ralph showed no sign of being ready to leave. Instead, he raised himself off the couch and walked to where she had dropped her bag. Damn! She had forgotten all about that bag. How would she explain this to Ralph?

He picked up the bag and gave her the glare that she usually interpreted to mean bad things were coming.

"Planning on going somewhere, Amirah?" he asked, his voice the proverbial calm before the storm. Deciding the semi-truth was the easiest way out, Amirah nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm moving," she replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Halting Ralph's threatening step forward at her words, she quickly finished explaining. "The guy I'm watching… I've made him think I'm his girlfriend and he asked me to move in with him. It'll make getting any information on him easier."

Then she threw in her trump card, "It's what Mr. Dalton wants." She knew Ralph would never dare go against Dalton's orders.

However, her words only seemed to enrage Ralph. With speed that belied his large size, he approached her.

"So, you refuse me all those times, yet the second this guy invites you in, you whore out your body to him." He grabbed her arm in a painful grip and pulled her against his body. Knowing Heero was hearing all of this, Amirah felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment.

"You slut!" he growled in her face. She saw his hand rise to strike her, and her body automatically tensed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the light reflect off of Heero's gun at the edge of the hallway. If he came out, their whole plan would be ruined.

"No!" she shouted, thinking quickly. She meant the command for both Ralph and Heero.

Turning her thoughts back to Ralph, she continued.

"If you hurt me, Heero will be suspicious. If I lose this guy because of you, Mr. Dalton will have your head, and you know it. Let me go." She tried to force as much conviction through her glare, willing him to believe her.

She watched him as he hesitated, his large hand still raised. Finally, he seemed to calm down. The rage left him, only to be replaced by a look she was all too familiar with. That look meant he was planning, and that he wasn't going to forget this.

"Fine," he said, his voice almost gentle. He let go of her arm, the lack of support causing her to stumble. She hadn't realized how weak her legs had become in her panic. "But the second you are off this case, you won't be able to hide from me anymore."

He quickly turned around and stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. Before the sound had finished echoing off her walls, she once again found herself in Heero's arms. The relief she felt was almost overwhelming, and she leaned a little on him for support. Ralph was gone and their plan wasn't ruined.

Feeling slightly shy at the moment, she hesitantly raised her eyes to meet his. Trying to make light of the situation, she grinned while speaking, "Well, that didn't go too bad."

She watched as he narrowed his eyes, and she got the distinct feeling he didn't share her sense of humor. He reached for her arm where Ralph had grabbed her. She dazedly noticed there were marks there, her mind much more focused on the feel of Heero's fingers on her arm.

"He hurt you," he stated more than asked. Her arm was starting to tingle where he was touching her, and she forced herself to answer him.

"Oh… no, I'm alright." She couldn't seem to stop looking at his hand. It looked so strong, but was so gentle when it touched her. She didn't like the way her thoughts were headed. Clearing her throat and forcing her thoughts to focus on the situation, she muttered, "We, uh, we should probably get going…"

Heero nodded once and slid his hand down her arm to grasp her hand. She almost gasped at the sensation. She shook her head as he grabbed her bag and the envelope. She must just be reacting to her fear with Ralph. It was just relief she was feeling. Nothing else. She kept repeating those words as he led her out of her apartment.

* * *

The ride back to his apartment was just as silent and awkward as the ride to her apartment had been. They had stopped to get a pizza along the way, and before she knew it, Amirah was back at Heero's apartment, sitting next to him on the couch, neither one speaking. Now they were each silent. Amirah glanced in Heero's direction and noticed he looked as uncomfortable as she felt. The humor of the situation made Amirah giggle. At Heero's surprised look, her giggles turned into laughter.

"We're quite the pair, aren't we," she managed to get out.

She only got a 'hn' out of him before he stood up and walked to the kitchen. Her laughter gone and feeling out of place in his apartment, she tried to start a conversation with him.

"So, how'd you come to be a cop?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't bring up the cop she had inadvertently murdered.

Heero turned to face her from the kitchen, leaning his elbows on the counter as he considered her question.

"I felt restless," he finally said after a long pause. When he made no sign of continuing, Amirah asked him why.

"Since I can remember I have been active. I was trained to fight from a young age. The war between Earth and the Space Colonies filled most of my teen years, and after that I served as a bodyguard for the Vice Foreign Minister for a few years. Now that everything has settled down, I have found that I can't just return to a normal life like my comrades have. I needed to keep busy. Joining the NEA seemed like a good way to do that."

Amirah only stared at him. She wasn't expecting him to be so honest with her, and judging from the way his body stiffened, he wasn't expecting himself to be so honest either. She considered what he had said. To be raised to fight. What kind of life is that for a child? She opened her mouth to ask him more about his childhood when he asked her a question of his own.

"Who is Ralph?"

She let out a sigh. She knew he was going to ask her that eventually, but she was in no mood to talk about it now.

"He's nobody. Don't worry about it, I can handle him," she said in what she hoped was a dismissive manner. Heero pushed himself away from the kitchen counter and made his way to her spot on the couch. He crouched in front of her and once again took her arm in his hand.

He brushed his fingers lightly over the darkening fingerprints on her forearm.

"Yes, I can see how you handle him," he replied without looking away from her arm.

She would have taken offense at his implying she couldn't take care of herself, but she couldn't quite make her mind form the words. The feel of his fingers on the sensitive skin of the inside of her forearm was turning her brain into mush.

He looked up at her suddenly and she quickly shut her mouth with an audible click of her teeth, not realizing it had fallen open. He raised his arm and gently touched the bruise above her temple from Dalton's gun. She had removed the bandage that morning and had gladly noticed that most of the wound was hidden in her hairline.

His look took on a concerned quality when she flinched lightly from his touch. Seeming to realize his touch was bordering on the intimate side, his hand quickly returned to his side.

"Who is he?" he asked again, and it took her a moment to remember who he was talking about.

With his face so close to hers, she could see the determination in his dark blue eyes. She swallowed and scooted back on the couch. How was she supposed to concentrate when he was looking at her like that?

He seemed to get the hint and rose from his crouch to sit on the coffee table directly behind him. Amirah thought he was still too close for comfort, but decided to talk anyway.

"When Dalton hires someone new, he teams them up with one of his professional guys, to show them the ropes and everything. Well, I got hooked up with Ralph." She couldn't keep the disgust from her voice and Heero lowered his eyebrows in response.

"We were assigned to follow one of the members of a gang, and instead of teaching me, Ralph had made it into some sort of competition. To make a long story short, I won, and he has yet to forget it. And to make matters worse, he sort of came on to me, and I refused," Amirah couldn't help the slight tremor in her voice as the memories of exactly how strongly he came onto her started playing in her mind.

She shook her head slightly to clear it. "Anyway, it was a painful blow to his pride, and to another valued part of his anatomy," she added with a slight grin, remembering the kick she had delivered to get him off of her.

Heero didn't seem as amused, although he did give her an approving smirk. He reached behind him and grabbed the bag she had brought with her. She didn't miss the way his shirt rode up as he reached behind him, and the quick but mouth-watering view of abs she saw. Was this guy made of muscle?

He pulled out the envelope Ralph had given her and handed it to her.

"I assume this has the place and time Dalton will want to meet you next?" he asked. Amirah nodded as she took the envelope, ripping it open to see the card inside.

"It's for next Friday night, a week from today," she told him as she read the card. "That's a lot of time, I usually only get a few days. You must be pretty important to him."

"I'm getting close, and now with your help, I'm going to get him," he responded, watching her face to gauge her reaction. Amirah waited for the panic she expected to feel at the thought of double crossing Dalton, but was surprised when she didn't feel it at all. If anything, she felt excited. She was ready to be free of him. She smiled at Heero and nodded her head in agreement. Heero seemed to accept that and stood up from his perch on the coffee table.

"You'll be staying in the bedroom, I'll sleep on the couch—"

Amirah opened her mouth to refuse, but Heero kept talking over her.

"I'm going to get some groceries. Make yourself at home. I'll be back in an hour." With those words, he grabbed his keys and left the apartment.

It only took Amirah 10 minutes to unpack her clothes, and another 15 to examine every corner of the apartment. She returned to the couch, completely at a loss as to how to spend her time. She reached for the remote and turned on the TV. After watching a good half hour of ants attacking grasshoppers, Amirah finally heard a key in the lock. Switching off the TV, she walked to the door just as Heero opened it.

He was carrying four bags of groceries and she took two from him even though he seemed more than capable of holding all four. When she turned back towards him after putting the bags on the counter, he was holding up a garment bag. She gave him a questioning look and was surprised when he handed it to her.

"What is this?" she asked, eyeing the garment bag nervously.

"It's a dress," Heero answered, walking past her to start unloading the grocery bags.

"And why do I need a dress?"

"For our date tonight."

Amirah's mouth dropped open, but Heero didn't look up from putting away the groceries. A date? With Heero? Amirah wasn't sure whether to be excited that he wanted to go on a date with her or disturbed that he was asking her out after she had been prepared to hand him over to Dalton only a few days earlier.

"Our date?" she asked hesitantly.

"It is safe to assume that we are being watched. It would seem unusual if, as a couple, we didn't go out on a Friday night," he explained, as if the thought should have occurred to her.

Amirah felt a twinge of disappointment, but brushed it off quickly. She looked back at the garment bag she was holding.

"You got me a dress?" she asked, strangely touched.

"I figured you didn't bring one with you." He walked back to the door and picked up another bag she hadn't noticed he brought it. He handed it to her. "And shoes. Our reservations are at 7. You should start getting ready."

Amirah glanced out the window and noticed the sun was starting to set.

"Right," she said and walked towards the bedroom. She turned back to find Heero watching her. "Thanks," she added with a smile.

He nodded with a slight smile of his own. She walked into the bedroom and closed the door. She placed the bag by the door and laid the garment bag on the bed. Slowly unzipping it, she removed the dress from the protective casing and gasped. The dress was a beautiful deep blue satin. She ran an appreciative finger along the neckline. She had never worn anything this nice in her life. Excited, she stripped out of her jeans and t-shirt and slipped the wonderfully smooth fabric over her head.

She turned to the mirror beside the closet and looked at her image. She had never thought of herself as beautiful, but she sure felt it wearing this dress. The deep blue fabric made her light blue eyes stand out. The scoop of the neckline showed off her cleavage, but wasn't so low as to be inappropriate. The dress hugged her figure until just under her hips, where it gently flowed down to the floor. She twirled once and couldn't help the giggle that escaped her.

Spotting the bag by the door, she hurried over to it and put it on the bed. She pulled out the shoe box, almost squealing when she saw the delicate strappy shoes of the same color as the dress. But something else caught her eye. There was another smaller box in the bag. Amirah furrowed her eyebrows and pulled the box out, opening it slowly. Her eyes widened when she saw what was inside.

A sparkling diamond drop necklace, flanked by two diamond drop earnings, glimmered in the lamplight. Amirah sunk down onto the bed, watching the beautiful jewelry as if it would disappear if she blinked.

Slowly, she stood and walked towards the mirror. She slipped the earrings on and daintily put the necklace around her neck. Slipping on her shoes, she gazed once again at her image in the mirror. She almost didn't recognize herself. A grin grew on her face as the idea of going out on a date with Heero sunk in. Sure, it was just a show for whomever Dalton sent to watch them, but she'd take what she could get.

She went to her bag and pulled out her makeup. She hardly ever wore the stuff, she didn't know what had possessed her to pack it in the first place, but she was glad she had. Heero had obviously gone through the effort to get her dressed up for wherever he was going to take her.

She carefully put on her makeup, skillfully covering up her slight bruising. She gently applied some black eye shadow, creating a subdued smoky eye look. She put on mascara and some light blush, and once again stood back from the mirror to look herself over, smiling in approval.

As she reached for the door to open it, she suddenly got a case of the butterflies. Would Heero think she looked pretty? Had she overdone it? Maybe the necklace and earrings weren't meant for her, they had just fallen into the bag or something. Swallowing her fear down, she reached for the door and opened it.

She stepped out of the bedroom to see Heero by the couch, straightening the tie of his tux. Her mouth instantly went dry. If she thought he looked good in his shirt and jeans, he was a god in a tux. She joyfully noticed he had left his hair alone, his thick silky locks falling half-hazardly into his face. He turned around to face her and his hands stopped their motion at his neck. She watched as his eyes went up and down her body, seeming to drink her in. He met her eyes and walked forward, gently taking her hand in his.

"You look beautiful, Amirah," he said a slight smile touching his lips. Amirah felt her cheeks warm at the compliment.

"You look pretty good yourself," she responded, training her eyes on his tie rather than his eyes. God she felt so nervous. This wasn't even a real date! She had to get a hold of herself. She distractedly straightened his already straight tie and took a step back.

He held out his arm for her to take and she slipped her arm in his, ready for whatever the night would bring her.


End file.
